


The First

by OdeToPedrazar (MyPrivateLaughter)



Category: Nothing Much to Do
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-21
Updated: 2015-03-22
Packaged: 2018-03-18 23:31:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 8,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3588009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyPrivateLaughter/pseuds/OdeToPedrazar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The many 'firsts' for Pedro Donaldson and Balthazar Jones (told through randomly prompted drabbles on Tumblr!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The First Time He Felt That Way (Balthazar)

“Hey, bro, can I nick your calculator?” 

It wasn’t like it was the first thing Pedro had ever said to Balthazar and there was a coup de foudre or whatever but Balthazar remembered these words for a while. 

Because everyone who was going through puberty and was interested in guys at all was interested in Pedro. 

And Balthazar’s friend, Karah, slid him a note that read something along the lines of: _Pedro is so hhoootttt <3 <3 He’s going to melt that calculator!!_ which had made Balthazar smirk. 

And Balthazar had looked across at Pedro to find he was holding the calculator upside down with the number 07734 typed in. He had this adorable grin on his face. 

That was when Balthazar realised that aside from being good at football, smart and good looking, Pedro Donaldson was also a complete dork.

There was another moment a few weeks later that was possibly more significant. During that time, Pedro and Balthazar had started a casual sort of friendship that began with brief conversations in the corridor and had progressed to occasionally sitting together in class and eventually swopping numbers. 

“Dude! Dude!” Pedro had come pelting down the Humanities block stairs two at a time and pushed Balthazar full in the chest and backwards through the door at the bottom. Thankfully the classroom was empty and Balthazar was only slightly winded.

“Wh – what?”

But Pedro pulled him away from the door and stood with his back against the wall as if they were evading police capture. “Hush!”

“What did you do?”

“Shhhhh…”

Pedro put one hand over Balthazar’s mouth and leaned forwards to peek through the glass in the doorway. “Shit!” he laughed and staggered backwards. “She saw me! Get down!” He grabbed Balthazar’s arm and tugged him down under a desk.

“Um… this is hide-and-seek, isn’t it,” Balthazar clarified in a whisper when they were both under the desk. “We’re playing hide-and-seek.”

“Sshhh…”

Perhaps Pedro didn’t notice that their hands were slightly touching in their crouched position but, oh boy, did Balthazar. When Meg came bursting into the room like a raptor in a Jurassic Park kitchen, Balthazar’s mind was completely preoccupied with how fantastic Pedro smelt and how thrilling it was to have a centimetre of their skin pressed together.

 _I am definitely not straight…_  Bathazar mused as he watched Pedro attempt to stifle his giggles, his mouth turned down comically, his eyes squinting closed, a lock of his hair dangling low over his forehead.

Meg was stalking around the desks and called, “I know you’re in here, Donaldson!”

Balthazar had never really gone in for the Pedro Donaldson hype in the past but right now he couldn’t help thinking that there was no one he’d prefer to be under a desk with. 

 _A crush on the cool guy_ , Balthazar’s inner monologue sarcastically intoned,  _How original._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prompted from Anon](http://odetopedrazar.tumblr.com/post/113374530290/first-time-balthazar-realized-his-feelings-for)


	2. The First Time He Felt That Way (Pedro)

“Oh my god.” Balthazar had burst into the room and thrown himself face first onto Pedro’s bed before Pedro had even turned around in his chair.

“Hey, bro,” Pedro laughed. “What’s up?”

Balthazar groaned into the bedclothes and didn’t turn around.

“You asked him out?”

Another groan.

Pedro smiled to himself and said, “Well, I never liked him anyway. He’s um… too tall. And besides, you know, plenty more fish in the sea, grains of sand on the beach… metaphors in the proverb.” 

It was halfway through this spiel that Pedro noticed Balthazar’s jeans. More specifically, the fact that they had been pulled down by the throwing-self-on-bed manoeuvre and that his shirt had ridden up to reveal the curve of Balthazar’s lower back and a good two inches of boxers. And it was a few seconds after this spiel that he managed to draw his eyes away. 

“It wasn’t that bad, was it?” Pedro ventured, his throat inexplicably dry.

Balthazar turned his face to look at Pedro. “It… was so bad. I… I started talking about my collection of musical instrument fridge magnets. Why would I talk about my magnets?” He groaned again and turned his face away, mumbling that he hated his life.

“ _What?_ ” Pedro cried. “Your magnets are awesome, man! If he didn’t appreciate your magnet collection then he obviously wasn’t the guy for you.”

“… He was so tall…”

“Tallness is overrated.”

Balthazar pushed himself up as if moving was a hardship and leaned against the wall. “Um, can we watch Conchords?”

Pedro laughed. “Course! I don’t think Mr Charles really wanted his essay in tomorrow anyway. Bowie?”

“Yeah, yeah…” 

They put Pedro’s laptop on the chair and sat side by side on the bed, the whole time, Pedro intoning how Balthazar was much better off without tall, magnetphobes in his life. 

Pedro’s legs were out straight and so that’s why Balthazar’s knee rested on Pedro’s thigh when his legs were crossed. Pedro didn’t move away. He initially felt something like shock but didn’t want to show it, just in case it wasn’t shock but something more related to the curve of Balthazar’s lower back… and then it lasted too long to move subtly. 

Anyway, it was good to hear Balthazar’s resolute silence gradually become low chuckles.

Pedro wasn’t really concentrating. He wondered why he had never told his friend that he was sort of sometimes attracted to guys too. And next he wondered why he was wondering that. Then he wondered if Balthazar realised he was wondering that because he was giving Pedro sideways glances.

“You alright?”

Pedro frowned in confused amusement. “Yeah, bro!” 

_… You smell really nice._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prompted by Anon on Tumblr](http://odetopedrazar.tumblr.com/post/112997334405/the-first-time-pedro-started-to-look-at-balthazar)


	3. The First Kiss

There had been a thousand first kisses in Balthazar’s mind. He had imagined it when they were walking back from school and Pedro had been playfully nudging him off balance with all of his music equipment. He had imagined it when they’d hung out all evening watching Bruce Willis films and their legs had connected every time they laughed. He had even imagined it when Pedro had been eating that Subway in the most disgusting way possible and he’d gotten meatball juice all down his chin. 

Pedro hadn’t done anything though and neither had Balthazar. It wasn’t that Balthazar was scared as such he was just… Alright, alright, he was probably scared. Because Pedro was one of his best friends and what if he had been reading all the signs wrong?

But they had been flirting with each other all afternoon. If it wasn’t flirting then Pedro had a very interesting way of interacting with his friends. No, it was definitely flirting. Unless it was a procrastination technique because Pedro was so bored of studying… 

Pedro was stretched out on Balthazar’s bed reading a textbook with a highlighter in his hand. “Hey, do you have that article that Mrs Birch gave us that compared the Great Gatsby and Wuthering Heights?”

“Urmmm… yeah, somewhere.” Balthazar rooted through the papers that surrounded him on the floor. “I might have left it at school.”

“You’re so unhelpful,” Pedro joked.

Balthazar smiled to himself and said, “Huh, you should look after your own stuff.”

“Ah, but then what would I need you for?” Pedro gave him a smirk and a poke in the shoulder with his big toe.

Balthazar continued to search and suggested, “Um, to laugh at your stupid jokes?”

“No, I laugh at my own jokes.”

“To keep away your adoring fans?”

“Well, you’re the one with the fans, aren’t you?”

“Ah, I know. I think I know where it is.” Balthazar got up and as he reached over Pedro to get a folder down from the shelf above his head, he noticed for the first time the way that Pedro was looking at him. It was a way that made his heart skip and then begin to pound inside his chest.

Balthazar sat down on the bed and began to flick through the folder, trying his best to ignore the blush rising in his cheeks and the Pedro who was now sitting up and smiling across at him.

“You know, I was talking to Ursula yesterday,” Pedro commented and Balthazar felt himself beginning to panic.

He tried to glance nonchalantly across at his friend though. “Um, yeah?”

“She told me I should ask you out.”

Balthazar’s breath caught in his throat and he forgot about the English article instantly. “What?”

“She said you had the ‘super hots’ for me – and that’s a direct quote. Apparently you’ve been drawing hearts all over your work with our initials in them.” 

“Ugh!” Balthazar laughed and went to give Pedro a shove. “She did not!”

Pedro was giggling and dodged Balthazar’s poorly aimed shove. “She did! She said you were sick with love for me.”

“Fuck off.”

“She told me how she was getting tired of you just going on and on about me all the time, like ‘Pedro is sooo great! I love his hair!’”

Balthazar shook his head, way beyond embarrassment and onto another thing entirely. “Nah, I would never say that. Your hair is ridiculous.”

“What do you love then?” 

Pedro smile was so coy and inviting that Balthazar couldn’t prevent himself from leaning forwards; he didn’t even think about it. He just reduced the distance between them and pressed his lips onto Pedro’s. Perhaps Pedro didn’t really expect him to do that because he froze for a moment. But in the next moment, he responded. 

Pedro’s kiss was soft, teasing, warm, pulling Balthazar in deeper. The feel and the taste of him overwhelmed Balthazar, so much better than what he’d ever imagined those lips to be like. But all too quickly it was over and they were separate once again.

“You didn’t actually talk to Ursula, did you?” Balthazar muttered.

“Nah…” Pedro took Balthazar’s hand in his, sliding their fingers together. “Well, I just asked her if, you know, if she thought I had a chance.”

Balthazar was astounded by this concept. “What?” It was even more unreal than having just kissed Pedro Donaldson.

“I wasn’t sure if you were this flirty with all your friends or…”

Balthazar scoffed. “You’re so the flirt.”

Pedro gave Balthazar a fixed look. “So will you go out with me?”

“Well, I mean,  _I guess_ …”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prompted by bendictslumberpatch on Tumblr](http://odetopedrazar.tumblr.com/post/113060576485/its-so-simple-but-you-havent-done-it-yet)


	4. The First Reactions

_Ursula_  
“Hey, Balth, I was wondering where you got too. Why are you smiling like that? What happened? Why did Pedro just wink at you? Oh my god.”

 _Benedick_  
“HERE HE COMES!! THE CONQUERING HERO! AAAAWWWWW, would you just look at that adorable blush. Oh, it makes me feel young again! No need to flatten your hair, man! We all know who’s been ruffling it up!!”

 _Beatrice_  
“Well, it’s not really surprising. You have good taste, Pedro. Get it? Because of that time that you totally - Oh… oh ok, I’ll see myself out.”

 _Hero_  
“ _What_?! Are you  _sure_?! That’s incredible news! I… I really can’t even begin to express how this makes me feel! I have never been happier in my  _whole entire life_!”

 _John_  
“So, you actually plucked up the courage then? Well done, I guess.”

 _Meg_  
“Nniiicceee…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prompted by Anon on Tumblr](http://odetopedrazar.tumblr.com/post/114242411920/first-time-they-tell-their-friends-theyre-dating)


	5. The First Cuddle Snooze

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because that is definitely a thing, right?

Pedro greeted Balthazar after the gig with his usual rapturous praise that was mostly communicated through the eyes that glimmered with appreciation but also from a simple but enthusiastic phrase. “That was fantastic!” 

The reaction was what Balthazar had come to expect from Pedro but today it was made special by the fact that Pedro had within the last twenty-four hours come out to all of their friends and the fact that they had decided to start going out for real.

“Thanks,” was all Balthazar could muster in response, along with a flushed smile.

“Do you want to go out?” Pedro picked up Balthazar guitar bag and slung it over his shoulder.

“Nah, you look exhausted.”

“ _I’m so exhausted_ ,” Pedro admitted with a laugh. “I can’t believe how long we spent doing that stupid video. Let’s go back to yours and watch something mindless. I mean, if you want to.”

“That sounds perfect.” And, because he was feeling pretty ballsy after playing a fairly awesome set – if he does say so himself – Balthazar took Pedro’s hand as they walked out, enjoying Pedro’s surprise and then visible pleasure.

When they got to back to Balthazar’s, they commandeered the den as usual and collapsed into their usual positions on the sofa. 

“Do you think things are actually going to be any different now?” Pedro wondered as Balthazar flicked onto the correct channel.

“Um, different from yesterday?”

“Yeah, I get there will hopefully be more making out but is everything else just going to be like how we used to be?”

Balthazar couldn’t help feeling a little giddy at Pedro’s casual mention of making out. He tried to contain himself though. “I don’t know. I was hoping that you’d maybe, you know, moderate your obsessing about Natalie Dormer.”

“Ok, fair. But same goes for you and that Martell guy.”

“Oberyn?”

“Yes…  _Oberyn_.”

Balthazar smiled to himself. “I don’t obsess about him.”

“No, but you get that smile. That exact smile that you’re doing now. Stop smiling!”

“You can’t make me…”

And then came the awkward moment when the opening credits of Game of Thrones began to play when they both simultaneously realised that they were officially a couple and that cuddling was totally an option right now.

Balthazar gave a cautious glance across at Pedro. Pedro was smiling widely at him. 

“What?”

“Just thinking about your extreme levels amazingness.”

Balthazar rolled his eyes. “Dear god…”

“I definitely have the coolest boyfriend now.”

“So I’m like a trophy um, boyfriend?”

“Pretty much.”

Balthazar shrugged and smiled down into his hands. “Yeah, alright… I suppose I can live with that.”

Pedro’s laugh turned halfway into quite a dramatic yawn.

“You can go to sleep if you want.”

“I’m fine,” Pedro insisted, while suppressing further yawning. “I want to hang out.”

“You mean you want to see Natalie Dormer.”

“It’s the best of both worlds.”

Pedro slipped his hand into Balthazar’s, then their legs pressed together, then Balthazar’s head rested on Pedro’s shoulder. 

And… the next thing Balthazar knew, the end credits were rolling.

He didn’t remember it happening but they were both lying down on the sofa. Pedro’s head was on the armrest, his eyes were still closed and his mouth slightly open. Balthazar’s head was on Pedro’s chest, which was rising and falling steadily. Balthazar carefully wrapped his arms around Pedro and drank in the warm smell of him. 

“Stop smiling,” Pedro muttered unexpectedly, his eyelids open a slit.

Balthazar lifted his head and kissed his sleepy boyfriend. “You can’t make me…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prompted by Anon and thecurlymop on Tumblr](http://odetopedrazar.tumblr.com/post/114204431960/first-cuddle)


	6. The First Date

In general, Pedro wasn’t a huge shopping fan but when Balthazar had asked if Pedro would drive him into town it had of course been an immediate affirmative. Pedro did have a million other things that he should be doing for school and student council and uni applications but… It was only a week or so since he and Balthazar had sort of got together and, yeah, well, basically Pedro would have said yes if Balthazar had asked if he’d drive him off a cliff.

The main issue had been broken guitar strings and then when Cindy, the music shop assistant, showed Balthazar some amazing Brahms sheet music she’d found, they’d sort of gotten distracted in an odd Brahms-come-Mumford-and-Sons jamming session with Pedro pitching in a few harmonies and the tambourine. 

“Dude, you’ve got to teach me an instrument,” Pedro bemoaned when they finally left the shop. “It’s embarrassing.”

“Well, not as embarrassing as not knowing the words to ‘Little Lion Man’.”

“What? Come on – that song has a lot of lyrics!” 

“I prefer to think of them as poetry…” Balthazar smirked and Pedro felt his stomach do a belly flop.

It was as if recently everything Balthazar did reduced Pedro to a gibbering wreck. Why did the slight upturn of one side of Balthazar’s mouth and the way that his eyes flickered up to him and then away make Pedro’s whole body go into shut down?  _Get a grip…_

“Um, food?” Balthazar indicated to a nearby coffee shop. “Coffee?”

“Yes and yes.”

It crossed Balthazar mind that this was their first date. It crossed his mind when Pedro held his hand when they crossed the street and when their legs touched underneath their small table. He didn’t say anything though. They had both been fairly vague about the parameters of their new relationship. Balthazar didn’t want to say anything today that might ruin it. He was enjoying the way Pedro was staring at him far too much.

They chatted about school and ordered paninis and frothy coffees. They held hands under the table and then on top of the table. They laughed at a spelling mistake on the specials board. Pedro giggled at Balthazar’s foam moustache and then instagrammed it. 

“Hashtag… adorable dork?” Pedro mused.

“Hashtag serious musician.”

“Hashtag what a nerd.”

“Hashtag babe.”

“Alright…” Pedro beamed, already typing it in. “You suggested it!”

“No!”

“Too late!” He pressed ‘post’ with a flourish.

“Nnnoooo…”

Pedro laughed to himself for a good few minutes and then they both got distracted by melted cheese and toasted bread. 

It was a while later that Pedro checked his phone and grinned. “Hero has commented asking if we’re on a date!”

Balthazar heard how nervous his laugh was but was helpless to prevent it. Luckily, Pedro was occupied by writing something back. “What are you saying?” Balthazar enquired, oh so casually.

“‘Hell yes!’” Pedro displayed the post triumphantly and if he noticed the hot flush of pleasure that was spreading across Balthazar’s face, he made no sign of it. “Hey, you wanna come back to mine after this? We could watch something if you want.”

Balthazar nodded. “Yeah, yeah, that sounds good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prompted by motherfuckingparis on Tumblr](http://odetopedrazar.tumblr.com/post/113006193370/im-so-excited-youre-writing-more-fic-what-about)


	7. The First Football Practice

“Balthazar!” Pedro came to an abrupt standstill in the middle of their dribbling drill and almost fell over the ball. 

Benedick ran into the back of him and swore. “Bro! What? Just – what?”

It wasn’t that Pedro had intentionally halted the football practice entirely; it was that he had had only this minute noticed Balthazar Jones wandering onto the other end of the field with his headphones in and his hands dug deep into the pockets of his jeans.

“It’s Balth!” Pedro said by way of explanation, indicating across the pitch. “Balthazar came!”

Benedick had his hands on his hips and looked across at the unassuming figure with an expression that was fluctuating between unimpressed and amused. “Yes… there he is! It’s true that he is most definitely arriving.”

“Yeah!”

“Be still, your beating heart!”

Pedro gave him a look. “I just thought he had band practice.”

Benedick scoffed and slapped Pedro on the back. “No  _band practice_ could stand in the way of your incorruptible love, your softly sweet amore, your -”

“Ben.”

“Mm?”

“Shut up.”

“Pedro! Ben!” Leo yelled from the sidelines causing both the boys to spin around. “Get moving!”

Balthazar’s head had flicked up as well and Pedro waved to him before starting to dribble the ball between the cones again. For some reason it was somewhat harder to do than before. 

Probably because of the smirk that had been on Balthazar’s face when he’d waved back. Or because for the first time ever in his life Pedro was actually wishing that football practice would be over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [On Tumblr](http://odetopedrazar.tumblr.com/post/112965714075/the-first-football-practice)


	8. The First 'Boyfriend'

The two of them walked back to Pedro’s house connected by the thin blue twine of Balthazar’s headphones. It was a new band Balthazar had discovered.

“Awesome!” Pedro declared when the song had finished.

“Yeah? You like?”

“I love the drums.” Pedro popped the earbud out of his ear and handed it back to Balthazar. “And the harmonies are sweet.”

“Exactly,” Balthazar nodded. “That’s what I thought. I got their EP if you want.”

“Yeah, cool. Let’s listen to it when we get back.” Pedro hiked his kit bag higher onto his shoulder.  “Did you see the new guy at practice?”

A grin spread over Balthazar’s face and glanced across at Pedro with a glint in his eyes. “The tall, dark one? Yeah…”

“Hey!” Pedro laughed and gave him a playful push. “He’s called Malik and he’s just moved here.”

“Cool.”

“He invited us to this party he’s having. Well, he invited me but I asked if I could bring my boyfriend, which I’m now beginning to regret…”

Balthazar smirked. “Yeah…” He gave Pedro a considering look then ventured, “Um, did you actually say that?”

“What?”

“Your ‘boyfriend’. Did you call me your boyfriend?”

“Yeah!” Pedro chuckled then his face fell. “Wait, we are boyfriends, right?”

The momentary vulnerability from Pedro made Balthazar’s heart burst with affection. “What? Yes! I mean, of course!”

“Phew!” Pedro mimed wiping sweat of his brow as Balthazar laughed.

“I’ve just not called you that yet, I think. I don’t know. I like it.”

“I like it too!” Pedro went to put his arm around Balthazar’s shoulders as they continued to walk but Balthazar stopped him and pulled him into a kiss instead.

They grinned at each other when their lips slowly parted and eventually Balthazar let go of Pedro’s t-shirt and held his hand instead. Then they carried on their familiar route. 

Balthazar really liked his new boyfriend…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prompted by thecurlymop on Tumblr](http://odetopedrazar.tumblr.com/post/112971814335/the-first-boyfriend)


	9. The First Meeting With Pedro's Parents

Pedro pushed open the door and called, “Hello!” as was his custom when arriving home. There was a slightly muffled response and lots of banging coming from the kitchen.

He and Balthazar strolled through to find his dad engrossed in an instruction manual standing next to his mum, who was halfway inside the large stove. 

Pedro’s dad turned around and straightened up visibly upon noticing Balthazar. “Balthazar.” He nodded and then solemnly held out his hand.

Balthazar was somewhat bemused by this gesture, considering that he’d met Pedro’s dad many times over the years and shaking hands had never been on the cards before. He took the proffered hand but shot Pedro a questioning glance. Pedro was barely attempting conceal his amusement.

“It’s good to see you,” Pedro’s dad said with almost too much sincerity in his eyes.

“Um, thanks.” 

Before it could get weirder though, Pedro’s mum emerged from inside the stove, wiping her face with a tea towel and straightening up. “Well, I don’t know what the little bugger is up to but I’m going to need a better wrench. Oh, hi, Balthazar!” She gave her son a disapproving look. “You didn’t tell us you were inviting Balthazar round.”

Pedro laughed. “I don’t usually have to announce his arrival!”

“It’s lovely to see him,” Pedro’s dad insisted while his mum stepped forwards with welcoming arms.

“A lovely surprise,” she said and next thing Balthazar knew he was experiencing a Mrs Donaldson hug. It was a bone-crushingly uncomfortable thing and it didn’t help that Balthazar could see Pedro in silent hysterics over her shoulder.

“Um… thanks…” he mumbled.

“Now,” Pedro’s mum said, upon releasing Balthazar, “you boys just let us know if you need anything.”

“As long as it doesn’t need baking…” His dad was now back to musing over the instruction booklet.

“Anything at all.” And she threw in a wink for good measure.

“ _Mum!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prompted by Anon on Tumblr](http://odetopedrazar.tumblr.com/post/112975058660/balthazars-first-time-meeting-pedros-parents)


	10. The First Embarrassment

It all happened when Balthazar met Pedro at the end of a football practice one time. A few members of the team were coming out of the changing rooms together, in high spirits after a good training session. There was Pedro, Benedick, Jamar, Malik and Tom.

They greeted Balthazar enthusiastically.

“We were just talking about you!” Benedick exclaimed.

Balthazar looked nervously to Pedro who laughed and said it was nothing bad.

“We’re just so psyched that you two have got together,” Jamar commented. “Our pre-match playlist is seriously limited. All we get is ‘Eye of the Tiger’ and ‘Gold’. We’re really hoping you’re going to improve Pedro’s music taste.”

Balthazar grinned. “Um, well, that’s not exactly difficult. Pedro’s favourite song of all time is ‘I’ll Make a Man Out of You’ from Mulan.” And when the others laughed he added, “Yeah, it’s all he sings in the shower.” Balthazar hadn’t intended to be hilarious but was pleasantly pleased that everyone was falling about laughing. 

That is, until he saw Pedro’s slightly red face, which was turned to him part embarrassment and part accusation. It was then that Balthazar considered that perhaps this was the sort of personal information that Pedro didn’t want sharing with his football team.

“ _Make a Man Out of You_?” Benedick was spluttering. “We have so got to put that on the pre-match playlist!”

Balthazar valiantly tried to get Pedro out of the hole by throwing himself in. “Well, um, honestly, he sort of got that from me. I may have the Mulan soundtrack on my iPod, just, you know… in case.”

“In case of  _what_?!”

“You got a favourite?” Malik teased.

“Um… ‘Reflection’. You know…” And Balthazar went for it. Because that’s just what you sometimes have to do when you’re in love with the football captain… “ _Who is that girl I see, staring straight back at me? Why is my reflection someone I don’t know?_  …It’s a very powerful song.”

Everyone was in hysterics and they were begging Balthazar to continue with his rendition.

“Ok, we have to get back, right?” Pedro said, putting a guiding arm around Balthazar’s shoulder. “Isn’t there that thing we have to do… with the thing?”

“But we have to hear more!”

“Could you do a duet?”

“Guys.” Pedro was using his authoritative tone, which Balthazar sort of loved. “You were lucky to get that snippet from a musical genius. We can only leave the rest to your imagination.”

“Or your shower!” Benedick held up a hand and Tom laughed and gave him a high-five.

“Dude, don’t high-five him for that,” Pedro said with a frown and a head shake.

"… I’m so sorry," Balthazar muttered as they walked away towards Pedro’s car.

"Yeah, I’m big time getting you back for that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prompted by flightofthelbd on Tumblr](http://odetopedrazar.tumblr.com/post/113096558760/the-first-time-one-of-them-inadvertently)


	11. The First Fight

Balthazar was stood outside the hall where his band practised with his guitar slung over his shoulder and a frown on his face. Everyone else had left a while ago and realistically he had waited for longer than he should have in the dark. Balthazar was just wondering if he was being absurd in sticking around when eventually Pedro strode around the corner.

“You’re still here!” Pedro laughed when he saw Balthazar.

Balthazar made an uncommitted noise and fell into step with Pedro before showing how frustrated he was. “Where have you been?” he muttered.

“I’m sorry. I had stuff to do with Leo. He’s getting really into it this season. He’s a bit obsessed. It reminds me of the quidditch guy in Harry Potter. What was his name?”

Balthazar didn’t tell him. He was too busy glaring at the pavement.

And Pedro seemed to realise for the first time that something was wrong. “Hey, I’m sorry, Balth,” he said. Pedro reached for Balthazar’s hand but Balthazar managed to evade him. “I should have text you. I’m sorry.”

“… Alright…” 

“What’s wrong?”

“Nah… it’s fine.”

“It’s clearly not fine, man. Just tell me what’s up? I’m sorry I was late!”

Balthazar thought this was beside the point. “You said you were going to come to practice.”

“Yeah, well, I told you. Leo asked me to stay behind. There was nothing I could do.” Balthazar could already hear Pedro getting defensive. Heaven forefend someone should question his honour.

“Fine.”

“I come to your practises all the time!” Pedro cried. “What’s the big deal?”

“Nothing.” Balthazar hated being angry. He hated it. He curled up his hands and felt his fingernails biting into his palms. “I just asked you to come this time. We were choosing important stuff for that… Nevermind. I just wanted you there and… you weren’t.” 

The others had wanted Pedro’s input on their set and Balthazar had been so ridiculously pleased that they valued his opinion. Maybe he had been a little proud too of his cool boyfriend. And maybe the pride had become something closer to embarrassment the longer they had waited for him…

Pedro made a high-pitched laugh of disbelief that made Balthazar’s insides churn. “How was I supposed to know this was the most important practice in the history of the band? You asked me to come to practise. Am I supposed to get that that is secret Balthazar code for ‘this is really important to me’?”

“You said you would come…”

“I told you I was sorry!” 

“Yeah… great, thanks. Just like when you said you’d come to that meal with my family-”

"I knew you were mad about that!" Pedro burst, stopping walking for the first time to face Balthazar. "God! This is so stupid! You never tell me when I’ve done something wrong. Why don’t you just say when you’re mad? I hate having to guess."

"…Why don’t you just not do things wrong?"

Pedro ran a frustrated hand through his hair and continued walking. “Well, I’m sorry,” he grunted. “We can’t all be perfect like you.”

They rounded the corner onto Balthazar’s street. Balthazar wished he could run the rest of the way, away from Pedro, away from this situation, away from the awful feeling inside his chest.

Instead they walked in silence and barely said goodbye to each other as Balthazar let himself into his house.

Balthazar climbed the stairs to his room and sat down slowly on the edge of his bed. He felt injured. He felt as if someone had just cut off a limb and that blood was pouring from the wound. He wanted to cradle himself and cry but his mind was whirring too much with all the words that he should have said and that he should not have said and the chatter was deafening. 

Balthazar tried to ignore it and tried not to think about Pedro’s face creased into a frown, his eyes flashing with anger. He focused on his hands, which were still balled up into fists. And then, eventually, the hot tears sprang into his eyes. “This is so stupid…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prompted by amyroryponds and lurknomoar on Tumblr](http://odetopedrazar.tumblr.com/post/113051943350/yay-for-your-ficlets-they-are-cute-as-hell-how)


	12. The First Reconciliation

Balthazar’s phone rang at sometime close to two in the morning. He wasn’t asleep but his mind had drifted somewhere into the melancholy depths of his Pedro memories. Balthazar knew instantly who it was and didn’t need to look at the picture that flashed up. He did though. He looked at it for a few seconds before realising that yes, of course he was going to pick it up.

“Hey,” he said.

“Balthy. Balth. I’m so sorry, bro. I’m so, so sorry. I don’t even – I didn’t know it was a big deal. I didn’t even think. I’m so horrible. I’m the worst. Please don’t hate me. Please, Balth.”

“I don’t hate you.”

There was a pause and Balthazar knew this wasn’t the response that Pedro had been hoping for. 

Then Pedro said, “Can I come over?”

“Um, now?”

“I need to tell you how sorry I am.”

“I… I think you’ve already covered that.”

“I want to talk to you. Fuck it. I’m coming over. There’s nothing you can do. Just… don’t let Linda wake up.”

“You don’t have to be so scared of my mum, you know.”

“I’m not!”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure you are.”

Balthazar didn’t bother getting dressed, he was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but he did check his hair in the mirror and then wondered if it looked as if he’d been crying. His phone buzzed.  _I’m outside._

Balthazar wished that sneaking Pedro into his house in the middle of the night could have been something other than because they’d had an argument. But as they tiptoed back up to his room, Balthazar just felt sad and frustrated.

When the door was safely closed behind them, Pedro didn’t seem sure what to do. It was obvious he hadn’t thought this far into the plan. The warm glow of the bedside lamp cast long shadows over his face. It looked as if he was in pain.

Balthazar sat down on the bed and waited.

“Are you still angry?”

Balthazar shrugged. “I guess I should have told you I really wanted you there. It’s not really your fault.”

“Are you still angry?”

“A little bit.”

Pedro sighed and sat down next to him on the bed. “I literally spent hours coming up with these really good reasons why you shouldn’t be mad at me but I just feel awful. I’m so sorry. I’ll try to be better.”

Balthazar felt the tightness in his chest begin to dissipate. “It’s alright.”

“I don’t want to fuck things up. I really don’t. Please tell me when I’m annoying you.”

“Ok.”

“Do you still like me?”

Balthazar couldn’t help smirking. “Pedro…”

Pedro looked hopeful for the first time at the sight of Balthazar’s smile. “I’m going to spend the whole weekend pestering you until you like me again.”

“Ugh, sounds awful.”

Pedro leaned in close towards him, a smile on his lips. “It will be awful…”

Before they kissed though, Balthazar said, “Um, I probably shouldn’t have got so annoyed. I’m sorry.”

Pedro touched the front of Balthazar’s t-shirt then ran his fingers down his bare arm. “You can’t help how I made you feel.”

“…I do like you.”

Pedro kissed him then and it felt as if it had been weeks since Balthazar had tasted Pedro’s mouth and felt his hands pulling him closer. It was different from before or perhaps Balthazar had just never needed it as much as he did now.

“Will your mum be mad if I’m here in the morning?” Pedro murmured and Balthazar couldn’t help laughing.

“Why are you so scared of my mum?”

“I’m not!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prompted by thisbirdbites on Tumblr](http://odetopedrazar.tumblr.com/post/113054680210/first-reconciliation-please-dont-leave-me-like)


	13. The First Sleepover

Pedro, Bathazar and Rosa sat around the kitchen table eating cereal in the sort of silence that amplified the sound of spoons against bowls.

“Do you think your mum’s going to be - ?” Pedro began.

“Nah, nah, it’ll be fine,” Balthazar insisted.

“Yeah, our parents are pretty cool about having guys over,” Rosa chipped in, with a smirk that must run in the family. “I have guys over all the time. I often have guys to breakfast that Mum and Dad didn’t even know were in the house.  _All the time_.”

“Yeah, I think I’m going to go…” Pedro went to stand up but before he got far, Balthazar’s dad walked into the kitchen in his dressing gown and not much else.

“Good morning, Pedro,” he said, turning on the espresso machine and finding a mug from a cupboard. “You’re here early. Have you two got plans today?”

“Oh, um, not really Mr Jones.” Pedro was hovering awkwardly between picking his bowl up and leaving it on the table, not sure which was most incriminating.

“Well done for getting this one out of bed this early,” he indicated to Balthazar with a teaspoon. “It must have been hard work to get him up.”

Rosa tried really hard not to laugh but ended up snorting a cornflake out of nostril. Then she yelped as Balthazar kicked her under the table.

“Um, actually…” Balthazar said slowly, and then all at once, “Pedro stayed over last night.”

“Oh. Right, oh…” His dad clearly had no idea how to respond to this and glanced to the door as if hoping his wife might appear at this opportune moment. She didn’t though. “We didn’t know you were here, Pedro,” he said with a frown.

“I’m sorry, Mr Jones.” Pedro ran a hand through his hair and explained that he’d come round late the night before.

“Do your parents know you’re here?”

“I text my mum. It should be fine… I was going to head off now anyway…” Pedro cast a pleading look towards Balthazar.

“Yeah, yeah.” Balthazar got to his feet. “I’ll see you out.”

“Bye, Pedro!” Rosa cheerily called. “Next time you two have a sleepover I want to be invited. I’ll have my sleeping bag and 80s movies. We can eat pop tarts.”

Balthazar threw her a ‘shut up, I hate you’ look and followed Pedro into the corridor.

“Well, that could have been worse.” Pedro said as Balthazar closed the door behind them.

“You’re just pleased you got to miss my mum.”

“Maybe…” Pedro grinned. “Hey, do you want me to stay and explain because I totally -”

“Nah, it’s cool.”

“I can be the bad guy. I’ll say I snuck into your room and seduced you or something.”

“Um, no, I don’t think that’d be a good idea…”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, no, really.”

They smiled at each other because both of them knew that realistically any kind of fallout from last night was worth it and they wouldn’t change it for the world.

Pedro stepped forwards for a quick kiss but wasn’t able to prevent a cautious glance up at the Jones house, as if Mrs Jones might be peering down at them. “Call me in a bit,” he said. “I want to know the damage.”

They said goodbye and Pedro strolled back home, his mind filled only with the image of how sweet Balthazar had looked when he had woken up that morning… and almost fallen off the side of the single bed. Suddenly the prospect of university was becoming very appealing indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prompted by thecurlymop on Tumblr](http://odetopedrazar.tumblr.com/post/113079913745/it-kinda-feels-like-the-first-reconciliation-needs)


	14. The First Balth/John Collaboration

Balthazar knocked on John’s already ajar bedroom door. “Hey.”

John turned slowly in his chair like an evil genius and raised one eyebrow. “Hello, Balthazar. What can I do for you?”

“How you doing?”

John shrugged. “Fine. It shouldn’t be long until Pedro is back from football practice.”

“Actually… um…” Balthazar hesitated. It wasn’t that he and John weren’t friends but – no wait, that was exactly what it was. Balthazar had seen John pretty much every time he’d come round to Pedro’s house for the last few years but they’d never had a real conversation, at least not one that didn’t involve whether Balthazar was staying for dinner or when Pedro would be back from football practice. But Balthazar wasn’t going to let this stand in the way of his idea. “You know it’s Pedro’s birthday soon.”

“I had heard a rumour, yes.”

“Well, I sort of wanted to make a thing for him and need some… I wondered if you could help me.”

“Help you make a romantic birthday present for my brother?”

Balthazar smirked and looked away. “It’s not romantic.”

“Ok, sure.”

“Oh!” Balthazar looked at the younger boys straight face and tried to decide if he was kidding or not. “Um… really?”

“Why not? I mean, as long as I can take half credit because I haven’t got him anything yet.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course!” 

Naturally the project didn’t go entirely 100% smoothly but by the time that Pedro’s birthday rolled around they had completed a pretty thoughtful gift and managed to get to know each other a little bit. John had even managed to get Balthazar to watch some Blackadder with him.

It was after lunch on Pedro’s birthday that the present giving took place. They were sat around the Donaldson kitchen table and Balthazar handed over the small book-shaped gift in smooth blue wrapping paper with ‘Pedro x’ written on it with a marker pen. John had objected to the kiss.

“What’s this?” Pedro asked opening it with an excited grin on his face.

“It’s to take with you to Uni,” Balthazar explained. “To remember everything by.”

It was a brown leather photo album. Pedro opened it carefully and began to flick through the pages of carefully selected photographs. They began at a young age from the Donaldson collection and Balthazar had contributed a few of his own and Ursula’s from the last few years. 

“This is awesome!” Pedro said enthusiastically and gripped his boyfriend’s hand across the table as he continued to turn the pages with his other. “Me in my favourite dungarees. What a nerd!”

“It was mostly John,” Balthazar muttered.

John gave a cryptic smile. “Well, the idea was Balthazar’s.”

Pedro looked between the two of them wonderingly and then laughed. “Thank you! I can’t believe you two did this together!”

“Why ever not?” John demanded.

“No reason, no reason… It’s really cool. Ha! Look at Ben in that one!” He was back to the photos.

Balthazar gave John an appreciative smile and small nod of thanks. John gave him a salute, meaning ‘you’re welcome’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prompted by Anon on Tumblr](http://odetopedrazar.tumblr.com/post/114325353970/if-still-going-first-time-balth-and-john)


	15. The First 'I Love You'

It was the perfect day.

The roads were shimmering with ethereal heat. Sheep, Dog & Wolf were playing at a local music festival. Balthazar had got them tickets. Pedro had got them drinks.

There was one moment when they were passionately singing along to ‘Glare’ with a few hundred other people that Balthazar looked across at Pedro and was struck by how in love with his boyfriend he really was. 

Balthazar loved the way that Pedro danced without caring.  He loved the hand that kept on finding his, even though they were both too hot for handholding. He loved the way Pedro closed his eyes when he sang and he loved the sweat glistening on his brow.

When Sheep, Dog & Wolf had finished, they found some shade to rehydrate in and at least ten minutes was spent running through the best parts of the bands set.

“You’re just as good,” Pedro pointed out after Balthazar had completed a particularly zealous account of Daniel McBride’s guitar performance.  
Balthazar grinned but shook his head. 

“You should be playing at things like this. Seriously! You need to get a manager.”

“Maybe.” Balthazar shrugged and took another swig of his beer.

“And then we can be best friends with Daniel.”

Balthazar had to laugh at the wistful way in which Pedro said this. “Yeah, yeah, you want me to succeed in my music career so you can be friends with Daniel McBride, right?”

“No, the three of us together!”

Balthazar raised his eyebrows. “Um… a ménage à trois?” 

“No! We’d all be best friends. Just us two would be, you know.  _We_  would be together.” He indicated to the both of them.

“Mmhm… Nice little fantasy you have there.”

“It’s going to happen.”

“Sure.”

Pedro laughed and lay back on the warm grass. “This weather is fantastic…”

Balthazar began to absentmindedly pick at the grass and after pulling out a handful sprinkled it onto Pedro’s chest.

“Hey…” Pedro lazily protested.

Balthazar picked a daisy instead and threaded it into Pedro’s hair. Pedro’s eyes were closed and his expression was serene. His nose and cheeks were red from the sun and Balthazar wanted to kiss them.  “I love you,” he commented.

Pedro’s eyes flickered opened and he grinned. “Really?”

Balthazar nodded and Pedro sat up, the daisy tumbling to the ground.

“That’s amazing,” Pedro said before pressing his lips against Balthazar’s. They were dry and tasted of salt and sun cream. “Oh -” Pedro suddenly pulled away – “and I love you, obviously.” He looked Balthazar in the eyes almost as if he were trying to see beyond them.

The whole world quivered and shook. Balthazar smirked. “Obviously?”

Pedro’s warm fingers touched Balthazar’s jaw line and trailed around his ear. “Obviously.”

It was the perfect day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prompted by hardlyasensibleman and a load of anons on Tumblr](http://odetopedrazar.tumblr.com/post/113274337790/for-your-pedrazar-drabbles-first-i-love-you)


	16. The First Song Pedro Wrote For Balth

“ _You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…_ ” Pedro sang softly. It was late and they had finished watching their film but neither of them wanted to move. Balthazar was stretched out on the sofa with his stripy socks on the opposite armrest and his head cradled on Pedro’s lap. “ _You make me happy when skies are grey…_ ” Pedro leant down and kissed him on the nose.

Balthazar’s nose scrunched up and he grinned at Pedro. “I didn’t know you could sing. You’ll have to… maybe you could help me for my next video.”

One of Pedro’s hands ran through Balthazar’s hair in a absentminded way. “Yeah, I was just hiding my musical genius so you wouldn’t be in my shadow. I’ve written you an ‘Ode to Balthazar’ and everything.”

“Uhuh? Go on then…”

Pedro looked at the ceiling and bit his lip. “Um…”

“That’s what I thought.”

“No wait!” Pedro laughed. “I’ve got it…”

“I can’t wait.”

Pedro cleared his throat and hesitantly began to sing to the tune of ‘You are my Sunshine’: “ _You are the cutest guy I’ve ever met… I like your smile and your hair…_ ”

Balthazar sniggered and his legs scrunched up happily.

“Don’t laugh! This is poetry in action. Um…  _When you laugh it makes my heart race… I like the big jumpers you wear!_ ”  

Pedro looked triumphant.

Balthazar was wetting himself. “That was the worst song I’ve ever heard!”

“I’m pretty proud of that! Hang on – I think there’s a second verse coming!”

“Please, no…”

But it was too late. “ _Balthazar, you are amazing! … I think you’re great in every way!_ ” Pedro paused as he thought of a rhyme and then snorted. He continued, “ _You don’t know half the ways that I love you… I’m just so glad that you are gay!_ ”

Balthazar was physically shaking with laughter. “That was beautiful.”

“You’re welcome.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prompted by amyroryponds on Tumblr](http://odetopedrazar.tumblr.com/post/113597480050/first-time-pedro-wrote-balthazar-a-song)


	17. The First Holiday

Considering that Pedro hadn’t wanted to go camping in the first place, he sure had a lot of opinions on the matter. He had spent about half an hour deciding where on the field they should set up camp and then pretty much the next hour complaining as they tried to pitch the tent without instructions or a mallet. When he and Balthazar finally stood back to admire their handy work, Pedro’s expression was less than impressed.

“There’s not much space in there, is there?”

“We don’t need much space,” Balthazar suggested and slipped his arm around Pedro’s waist.

Pedro acknowledged this sentiment with a smile. “I can’t believe this is our first holiday together.” 

“Eh… it’s going to be awesome.”

Pedro looked at Balthazar and then glanced dubiously around at the large field scattered with tents and caravans and children playing ball games and parents reading newspapers. “Hm.”

“Um, you did use to like camping.”

“Really?”

“You don’t remember that scout camp that time?”

Pedro grinned and a slight pinkness spread across his cheeks and to his ears. “Oh, yeah…”

So they went for a leisurely walk in the woodlood and down by the river and when they came back they lit their little barbecue and ate two large packs of crisps and a muffin each before their burgers had cooked. Then they sat around the simmering coals on their blue floppy camping chairs enjoying the warm dusk, Pedro reading his book and Balthazar picking at his ukulele, wrapped up in one of his oversized, knitted jumpers. 

“Uh, ok, I’ve got it,” Balthazar said after a while.

“What? You learnt something?” Pedro rested his book on his lap.

“I wrote you a song.”

Pedro gave an astonished laugh. “Just now?”

“It’s about camping.”

“Oh…”

Balthazar began to strum a chord pattern that vaguely reminded Pedro of that song he wrote with Beatrice. “ _Pedro hates camping - don’t know why he came… If this weekend ends badly I’ll be getting the blame…_ ”

“It’s true!” Pedro agreed.

  
“ _Our tent is really an unreasonable size… for two pretty average sized guys… Our burgers were burnt but raw inside… I said I brought the bug spray, it’s possible I lied…_ ”

“Nnnoooo…”

“ _Pedro hates camping but I’ll make him see… Camping can be fun when he camps with me!_ ”

He finished with a flourish and Pedro gave an enthusiastic round of applause before wiggling out of his chair and crouching by Balthazar’s. “You’re so talented,” he smiled and kissed his crazy cool boyfriend. “But I’m not going to forgive you for the bug spray…”

A few hours later saw Pedro and Balthazar snuggled up in their sleeping bags in the odd sort of ambient silence of a campsite after dark. Pedro felt that healthy utter exhaustion that comes from being out in the fresh air all day and his skin was still glowing from too much sun.

“I suppose it’s not that small,” Pedro said. He lay in the crook of Balthazar’s shoulder, enjoying the feel of the musicians’ fingers running through his hair.

“Shhh,” Balthazar murmured. “It’s not soundproof.”

“I can be quiet,” Pedro smirked and leaned up to meet Balthazar’s lips, savouring the familiar softness, enjoying the woody taste from sitting by the barbecue all evening.

“You look like a slug,” Balthazar told him.

“Oi!”

“Well, a cute slug.”

“A cute slug. Thanks, man.” Pedro had sneakily been unzipping Balthazar’s sleeping bag and now was able to thread his arms inside and around his boyfriend’s chest.

Balthazar hesitantly whispered, “Um… has it been ok so far, this camping thing.”

“Dude, are you kidding? I officially love camping. Will you sing me another song?”

“I wasn’t kidding about the soundproofing situation.” 

“Quietly?”

“… Ok.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prompted by Anon on Tumblr](http://odetopedrazar.tumblr.com/post/113546513375/the-first-vacation-trip)


	18. The First Pet

It had seemed like a really good idea at the time.

Balthazar was certain beyond all doubt that it was masterstroke right until he was wheeling a cart piled high with dog supplies across the pet shop car park. Then with every step he became more aware of how he had possibly made a mistake. In fact that it was entirely likely that the problems with Pedro would not just suddenly melt away when he caught sight of the tiny, adorable ball of fluff that was currently scuffling and yelping inside her carry case.

It was an agonising few hours until Pedro got back from his lectures, not made better by the tiny, adorable ball of fluff scampering around his ankles and wagging her tail so hard at one point that she made herself fall over.

“You’re ridiculous,” Balthazar muttered.

When Pedro did eventually come through the front door, Balthazar ran to meet him. “Hi!”

“Hey, what’s up?”

“I, um, I’m so sorry.”

Pedro sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t really want to talk about it anymore. Can we just order pizza? I’m starving.”

Balthazar had made a pretty big mistake. The mistake had begun with him thinking that Sam from his course had just wanted to be his friend. The mistake had continued when Balthazar had insisted to Pedro that Sam had accepted he had boyfriend and would respect that. The mistake had ended with Sam making a move on Balthazar in their own living room and Pedro walking in. 

All in all, it had been a pretty shit time.

“I… I have a surprise for you.”

“Is it rose petals? Because last time those ended up in all kinds of uncomfortable places.”

“No, it’s a bit more -”

“Oh my god.” And through the door into the living room waddled the tiny, adorable ball of fluff. Pedro’s jaw dropped.

“Um, it seemed like a really good idea at the time,” Balthazar explained. “But we’re not even allowed pets. The landlord said -”

“Fuck the landlord.” Pedro pushed past Balthazar and scooped the puppy into his arms. “You’re the most gorgeous little thing! Yes! Yes, you are!” The puppy yelped and Pedro giggled with delight. “Ah! I love you so much!”

“Me or the dog?”

“The dog. Definitely the dog.” But after a second Pedro looked up apologetically. “I…” He stepped forwards and kissed Balthazar with the sort of tenderness that made Balthazar forget to breathe. “I love you. Thank you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know.”

The puppy began to lick Balthazar’s face and Pedro laughed. “Let’s call him Mr Snuggles.”

“I thought that was my name… Anyway, she’s a girl.”

“Mrs Snuggles?”

“Agent Snuggles?”

“Lady Elizabeth Snuggleberry?”

“Lizzy for short?”

“I like it.”

They smiled at each other for a moment before Balthazar admitted “… I may have done the rose petals thing as well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prompted by aeternamente on Tumblr](http://odetopedrazar.tumblr.com/post/114220666350/first-pet-puppy-i-mean-pedrazar-and-a)


End file.
